Fernie Fire Hall Groundbreaking celebrations were held Tuesday, August 11, marking the official start of construction on the City of Fernie’s new purpose-built fire hall at 1500 5th Avenue.
The ceremony brought together members of Fernie City Council, Fire and Emergency Services, City staff, the project team, Community Working Group volunteers, consultants and construction partners who have helped move the project forward.
Mayor Nic Milligan spoke about how proud he is of Council and City staff for persevering through the lengthy process required to bring the project to construction.
Milligan also acknowledged that major community projects can bring opposition and differing opinions, expressing understanding for residents who are uncomfortable with change while recognizing the work that has gone into reaching this milestone.
Fire Chief Brendan Morgan reflected on nearly a decade of serving Fernie from facilities that were inadequate and, ultimately, condemned.
Morgan emphasized how important the new fire hall will be for Fernie’s firefighters and how much the department appreciates finally seeing construction begin on a facility designed to meet its operational, training and safety needs.
The new fire hall is expected to open in 2027.
The start of construction comes less than two weeks after the City announced it had secured $7 million through the Strategic Priorities Fund toward the new fire hall. The federally funded grant will cover approximately 45 per cent of the $15.5-million construction budget.
The City awarded a $14.33-million fixed-price construction contract to Chandos Construction LP, with the overall project remaining within its approved $16-million budget.
The new 15,919-square-foot fire hall will include four pull-through, double-loaded apparatus bays, an integrated hose tower and a 40-seat multipurpose room for firefighter training and Emergency Operations Centre functions. The multipurpose room will also be available for public bookings.
The facility is being built on a portion of Prentice Park and is designed to improve emergency response, firefighter health and safety and the long-term operational capacity of Fernie Fire and Emergency Services.
Firefighters are expected to move into the new hall in fall 2027.
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